SPAR NI puts local food and producers at the heart of Balmoral Show

SPAR NI will once again return to Balmoral Show to put their locally produced products at the heart of their activity from 15^th – 18^th May.

Visitors will be able to sample the delights of SPAR’s locally sourced ranges, from savory snacks to sweet desserts and meet their award-winning chef, Carl Johannesson. Over the past few years, Carl’s developed hundreds of recipes at SPAR’s production kitchen in Randalstown, many of which now make up SPAR’s exclusive brand, The Kitchen, which can be found in stores across Northern Ireland.

It is the 13^th year SPAR NI has supported Balmoral Show as Platinum Sponsor, and as well as delivering plenty of tasty treats for visitors to sample, the team will once again be offering SPAR Big Reds, their iconic red Stetsons, to show-goers for a donation towards Marie Curie and Cancer Fund for Children. Last year, throughout four days, visitors donated an incredible £25,763.09, which was divided between both charities.

Bronagh Luke, Head of Corporate Marketing at Henderson Group said; “We’re looking forward to our return to Balmoral Show, marking our 13^th year as Platinum sponsor in our usual engaging, tasty and exciting way! We will have our selfie station set up for visitors to get an iconic Stetson selfie with their Big Reds, which is such a fantastic way to support our brilliant charity partners.

“For us, Balmoral Show is all about connecting our shoppers with the local suppliers and farmers who are producing the ingredients to help us create the delicious and value-driven own brands we are creating for our stores. Over 75% of our fresh food is sourced locally from over 180 local suppliers, with many of those suppliers helping us produce our SPAR Enjoy Local range. Chef Carl Johannesson works alongside our suppliers to select the finest ingredients to create family favourites that are available under The Kitchen brand. Both ranges are a fantastic offering for our retailers to bring to their local shoppers at value prices, all year round.”

Visitors to the SPAR NI marquee at the Balmoral Show this year can sample the likes of The Kitchen beef stew, sweet potato curry and chilli chicken pasta, alongside The Kitchen’s range of desserts. Chef Carl will also be creating dishes from scratch to give visitors plenty of meal inspiration for tonight’s tea.

SPAR Enjoy Local cocktail sausages and sizzle steaks will also be available for sampling, together with the brand’s summer salads and traybakes, all produced by local producers including K&G McAtamney,  Avondale and Graham’s Bakery.

Bronagh concluded; “Balmoral Show is a hugely important four days for our entire team, showcasing all that SPAR NI stores across Northern Ireland bring to their local communities, from everyday essentials to the highest quality fresh foods from our outstanding local suppliers. We are able to drive support for our charity partners, while also introducing visitors to our other corporate partners including the SSE Arena, with W5 providing family fun for our marquee visitors each year.

“It is all about building that awareness with visitors, ensuring they support their local SPAR retailers, with over 500 independently operated and company owned SPAR, EUROSPAR and ViVO stores across Northern Ireland with an abundance of fresh foods, locally sourced and available at value prices.”

Visitors and exhibitors will also be able to pick up their essentials from the on-site SPAR store where show-goers can grab a Barista Bar coffee, a sandwich, salad or wrap from the locally made Delish range, or any other everyday essential they’d expect to find in their local SPAR store.